The battle of Fort Donelson, fought from February
12-16, 1862, resulted in the first major Union victory of the Civil War, and
fame for the general who brought about that victory: Ulysses S. Grant.
Fort Donelson, built early in the war by Confederate soldiers, was at an
important crossroads between two states which were vital to the Confederate war
effort: Tennessee and Kentucky. In early 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant
tested Confederate strength at Belmont and then Fort Henry, just west of Fort
Donelson.
C.S. General Albert Sidney Johnston,
the overall commander of Confederate troops in the west, decided to concentrate
his troops at Fort Donelson, anticipating an attack from Grant which could
possibly lead to the fall of Nashville. By the time Grant had encircled
the fort on February 12th, nearly 21,000 Confederate soldiers had retreated into
the fort, and by February 13th, Grant had been re-enforced, and had at his
disposal nearly 27,000 troops.
The first major action of the battle
occurred on February 14th, when six Federal ships tried to penetrate past the
powerful Confederate batteries which overlooked the Cumberland River. The
batteries inflicted heavy damage on the Union ships, which were forced to
retreat. On the 15th, actual fighting began, when C.S. General Pillow led
a devastating attack on the right flank of the Union army, which began to roll
back onto itself. Unfortunately, Pillow did not use this victory to his
advantage and further attack the Union lines or evacuate the fort, but instead
retreated back into the fort. This was the final break-out attempt the
Confederates would have, and on February 16th, C.S. General Buckner, who was
left in command of the fort after most of the top brass had evacuated,
surrendered to General Grant at the Dover Hotel, just east of the
battlefield. This Confederate defeat led to the loss of nearly all of
Kentucky and western Tennessee, and the vitally important city of
Nashville.